A number of leg warmers and other superficially similar items of apparel such as leggings and snakeproof chaps have heretofore been proposed. Those of which we are aware are disclosed in: (a) U.S. Pat. No. 1,930,748 issued Oct. 17, 1933 to Giorda for TROUSERS PROTECTOR; U.S. Pat. No. 2,014,208 issued Sept. 10, 1935 to Parvin for FANG PROOF LEGGING; U.S. Pat. No. 3,538,914 issued Nov. 10, 1970 to Myers for ADJUSTABLE FASTENING DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,963 issued Sept. 18, 1973 to Knight for SNAKE BITE PREVENTING DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,845 issued Sept. 5, 1978 to Chellis for RAIN CHAPES; U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,301 issued May 10, 1983 to Hightower, Jr. for SNAKE PROOF CHAPS; U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,812 issued July 15, 1986 to Harmsen for LEGGINGS; U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,286 issued Oct. 6, 1987 to Cho for PROTECTIVE THIGH AND KNEE GEAR; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,596 issued Jan. 5, 1988 to Hofman for GARMENTS; (2) a reissue of above-cited patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,301 (U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,506 dated Sept. 22, 1987); (3) design patent U.S. Pat. No. Des. No. 290,302 issued June 16, 1987 to Campbell for LEG WARMER; and (4) an advertisement from Easy Riders magazine.
Many of the items of apparel disclosed in the foregoing references would not be capable of keeping a wearer's legs warm and protected from wind because of their cut and/or the materials from which they are fabricated.
The above-cited Giorda, Myers, Knight, Chellis, Hightower, Jr., Harmsen, Cho, Hofman, and Campbell patents, for example, disclose items of apparel which would not be useful as leg warmers because of the limited coverage of the wearer's legs they provide.
And, of all of the items of apparel disclosed in the cited references, only those disclosed in the Campbell and Harmsen patents would appear to be made of materials providing any significant protection from the cold. The leg warmers disclosed in the Harmsen patent are nonetheless of limited utility because their integral footwear would make it impractical to wear them out-of-doors, especially in circumstances involving travel on wet, snow covered, or muddy terrain.
Yet another drawback common to a number of the heretofore patented leg coverings--e.g., those disclosed in the Parvin and Garland references--is that they are made of inflexible metals or have major components fabricated from inflexible materials. As a consequence, such leg coverings would not afford the freedom of movement required in many, if not most, circumstances in which leg warmers can be put to good use. Fishermen, construction workers, sportmen, and others, all require more mobility than these leg coverings would provide.
Still another, and very important, drawback of the prior art leg covers is that they employ fastening systems which are inadequate because, if used in leg warmers, they would make it too difficult to put the leg warmers on and then take them off. Also, in the case of those disclosed in the Harmsen and Cho patents, for example, one part of the disclosed leg covering can separate from the cooperating, underlying part in at least localized areas, leaving an unintended gap therebetween. This would be quite undesirable in a leg warmer as cold air could penetrate through the gaps even if that was not wanted. Furthermore, in most cases, no provision is made for adjusting the previously disclosed leg coverings to fit the lower leg of the particular wearer. This feature, though perhaps not absolutely essential, is obviously a highly desirable option. A snug fit will exclude cold air, snow, and moisture and thereby keep the wearer more comfortable.